"Appalling service"

I am due to go into hospital for surgery.  Last weeky I received a letter advising me of an outpatient pre-assessment clinic date.

The first problem the letter advised that if I needed to change the appointment that I should "phone the number below" . There was no number below to phone. 

So I searched for the correct number on the internet and phoned outpatients. I was in a queue. I eventually got through to speak to a person after 40min. 

The issue is that I will be out of the country during August and Sept so did not want my pre-assement appointment to lapse. I spoke to someone who tried to advise me, but he could not contact anyone in Day surgery to find out how long would be the wait between preassessment and surgery. No one was there. He advised that someone would phone me on Monday. He, at least, tried to be helpful.

Monday arrived - no call. So I contact the hospital outpatients again. Yes... I am in a queue. 25 min later I spoke to someone who put me through to gastroenterology. Whoever I spoke to here could not have been less interested in helping and said they would put me back to outpatients to rearrange the appointment. I asked them to make sure that I did not have to go through the whole queuing process again. I was then put through to a day surgery number where I got the message that no one was available and not to leave a message!!! 

The whole experience just left me feeling that the staff are completely disinterested in actually helping. Of the two I spoke to today, their voices were flat, bored and switched off. Complete disinterest. I had no resolution to my query and am left not having a clue what to do next.

All the staff, at whatever level, should receive training to ensure that all patients feel cared for and valued, rather than being made to feel that they are being a nuisance calling. 

The outpatient letter needs to be much clearer about the likely wait between pre-assessment and surgery. It also must contain the phone number or email address needed to change the proposed appointment. 

The whole  has left me feeling that the front line staff, our first point of contact with the hospital, do not give a fig for how the patients must be feeling pre-surgery at a stressful time in their lives. And this is only to try and possibly change an appointment. 

So, my appointment is for mid July in Gastroenterology at William Harvey.

I am out of the country for August and September.

So do I need to change the July appointment or will the pre-assement last until October when I return.

Please do not ask me to phone outpatients again.